Toy Building Set

ABSTRACT

The toy building set comprises interconnectable modular elements that include flat, substantially square bricks, each having two opposite, substantially square main faces, of which a first one is shaped with an array of recesses. Two first, adjacent, narrow side faces bear tabs projecting at right angles from the respective side faces. Two second, adjacent, narrow side faces bear forks projecting from the respective side faces so that the tabs of an adjacent brick can be inserted therein. Each fork is of a size and shape such that it is insertable in one of the recesses with a tight fit. The modular elements also comprise disc-shaped, peripherally toothed bricks, each having transverse openings in which the forks are insertable.

The present invention relates to a toy building set of the typecomprising a plurality of modular molded elements made of a syntheticmaterial, so-called “bricks”, which can be linked together with a tightfit to build tridimensional models representing fancy figures or realobjects such as buildings, vehicles, pieces of forniture, as well asanimals, plants, etc.

The toy building sets of the above type are generally packed in cartonscontaining a predetermined number of bricks. The simplest brickstypically have a prismatic profile with a square or rectangular cuntourand, although they may differ from one another for size and shape, theyhave the common feature of being provided with projections on one base,which are shaped to fit into corresponding recesses formed on oneopposite base. Alternatively, certain bricks may have only one baseprovided with projections or recesses.

None of the known toy building sets have bricks which can be bothstacked on top of each other and linked side by side and at rightangles. This deficiency considerably affects the versatility of the toyand the creative possibilities that the toy offers.

The toy building sets have evolved over the years, with the productionof a variety of assorted bricks having more and more complex shapesspecifically intended for creating predetermined profiles. Consequently,such bricks have a limited polyvalence and high manufacturing costs dueto their complexity and to the high variety of different shapes.

Therefore, it is a main object of the present invention to provide a toybuilding set comprising only one typology of brick, or two typologies atmost, which are shaped such to have a high polyvalence, with possibilityof articulated lateral connections, in order to allow complex profilesto be formed even by using a small number of bricks.

A further object of the invention is to provide the above bricks with ahigh degree of safety in relation to the use of the toy from children.

The above objects and other aims and advantages, which will betterappear below, are achieved by the toy building set having the featuresrecited in claim 1, while the other claims state other advantageousfeatures of the invention.

The invention will be now described in more detail with reference to apreferred, non-exlusive embodiment shown by way of non limiting examplein the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view from above of a first brick belonging to a toybuilding set according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view from below of the brick of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in cross section of the brick of FIG. 1 made along lineIII-III;

FIG. 4 is a plan view from above of a second brick belonging to the toybuilding set according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view from below of the brick of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view in cross section of the brick of FIG. 4 made along lineVI-VI;

FIG. 7 is a plan view from above of an auxiliary element belonging tothe toy building set according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is a plan view from below of the auxiliary element of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a view in cross section of the auxiliary element of FIG. 7along line IX-IX;

FIG. 10 is a pictorial image of a model built with the toy building setaccording to the invention.

With reference to the above Figures, a toy building set according to theinvention comprises two different types of modular elements connectabletogether with a tight fit. FIGS. 1-3 illustrate an element of the firsttype which consists of a flat brick having a square contour 10 with twoopposite main faces. A first main face 12 has nine square-shapedrecesses such as 14 arranged in a square array. The second main face 16has four square-shaped bosses such as 18 which are aligned to the fourcorner recesses 14 of tie square array and are sized to engage therecesses with a tight fit. Brick 10 has four level, side faces. Twoadjacent side faces 20, 22 are each provided with two rectangular tabs24 arranged at right angles to the respective side face and to the mainfaces, and aligned to two peripheral rows of shaped recesses. The othertwo side faces 26, 28 are each provided with two forks 30. Each forkconsists of a pair of side-by-side rectangular fins arranged at rightangles to the respective side face and to the main faces. The fins ofthe forks are mutually arranged such that a tab is insertabletherebetween with a tight fit, and the distance D between centers of thetwo forks is equal to the distance L between two tabs 24. Moreover, eachfork 30, as well as each tab 24, has an outer profile engageable intorecesses 14 with a tight fit. Preferably, the distance between thecenters of two adjacent recesses equals the distance between the centerof a peripheral recess and the adjacent side edge, plus a half of thelength of tab 24. As the person skilled in the art will appreciate, withthis arrangement, the distance between centers of two recesses belongingto different bricks interconnected laterally is always a multiple of thedistance between two adjacent recesses.

FIGS. 4-6 illustrate an element of the second type which consists of adisc-shaped brick 32. Disc-shaped brick 32 has eight transverse openingssuch as 36 arranged in a square array and aligned to the eightperipheral recesses 14 of square bricks 10. The eight openings 36 have asquare profile corresponding to recesses 14 for being engaged by forks30, as well as by bosses 18 and by tabs 24. Disc-shaped brick 32 isprovided with an axial hole 38 and with a peripheral toothing 40.Advantageously, the pitch diameter P of toothing 40 of the disc-shapedbrick is substantially equal to the length of side A of the square brickplus the length B of tabs 24. As the person skilled in the art willimmediately understand, this allows two disc-shaped bricks pivoted atthe middle of respective adjacent square bricks to mesh with each other.

An accessory pivot member 42 is shown in FIG. 7-9. Pivot member 42 has acircular profile, with a pin-shaped end portion 44 which is pivotallyinsertable into axial hole 38 of disc-shaped brick 32, and with acylindrical end portion 48 opposite to pin 44 and insertable with atight fit into the recesses of square bricks 10 or into the openings ofdisc-shaped bricks 32. Pivot member 42 is also preferably provided withan intermediate thin spacer flange 46. The free end of pin 44 issurrounded by a peripheral edge 50, whereby pin 44 is inserted intoaxial hole 3 8 with a snap action.

In use, recesses 14 on square bricks and openings 36 on disc-shapedbricks cooperate with bosses 18 and tabs 24 of square bricks, to allowthe square bricks to be stacked both on top of other square bricks andon top of disc-shaped bricks. Tabs 24 cooperate with the forks 30 toallow the square bricks both to be interconnected laterally, and to beconnected at right angles to other square bricks and to disc-shapedbricks.

The square profile of recesses 14, square openings 36, and bosses 18,prevents two joined bricks from rotating with respect to each other evenwhen the connection is provided by the mutual engagement of only oneboss 18 or fork 30 in a corresponding recess 14 or opening 36.

FIG. 10 is a pictorial image of a composition representing a car 60. Thecomposition is formed by twelve square bricks 10 which are laterallyjoined at right angles to form a frame, and four disc-shaped bricksrepresenting the wheels and pivoted to respective pivot members 42, eachinserted in a corresponding recess 14 of the square bricks forming theside walls of the frame. Although in FIG. 10 all the square bricks arejoined at right angles, the shape of the tabs and forks allows lateralconnections at different angles, with a large amount of possibleconfigurations.

A preferred embodiment has been described herein, but of course manychanges may be made by the person skilled in the art within the scope ofthe inventive concept. For example, the number of recesses and/or bosseson the square bricks, as well as the number of openings on thedisc-shaped bricks may be varied. The number of tabs and/or forks oneach lateral face may also be different from what illustrated.

What is claimed is: 1-14. (canceled)
 15. A toy building set comprisinginterconnectable modular elements, wherein said modular elements includeflat, substantially square bricks, each having: two opposite,substantially square main faces, of which a first one is shaped with anarray of recesses, two first, narrow side faces bearing tabs projectingat right angles from respective side faces, two second, narrow sidefaces bearing forks projecting from the respective side faces so thatthe tabs of an adjacent brick can be inserted therein, each fork beingof a size and shape such that it is insertable in one of said recesseswith a tight fit.
 16. The toy building set of claim 15, wherein eachfork comprises a pair of parallel fins projecting at right angles fromthe respective side face.
 17. The toy building set of claim 15, whereineach of said substantially square bricks is provided with bossesprojecting from a second one of said main faces and insertable in saidrecesses with a tight fit.
 18. The toy building set of claim 15, whereineach of said substantially square bricks has nine of said recessesarranged in a square array.
 19. The toy building set of claim 18,wherein each of said substantially square bricks has four of said bossesrespectively aligned with four corner recesses of the square array. 20.The toy building set of claim 15, wherein a distance between the centersof two adjacent recesses in any of said bricks is substantially equal toa distance between a center of a peripheral recess of the square arrayand a midpoint of the adjacent tab of the brick.
 21. The toy buildingset of claim 17, wherein said recesses and said bosses are substantiallysquare.
 22. The toy building set of claim 15, wherein each of saidsubstantially square bricks is provided with two tabs on each of saidfirst side faces, and with two forks on each of said second side faces,a distance between the two tabs being equal to a distance betweencenters of two forks.
 23. The toy building set of claim 15, wherein saidmodular elements also comprise disc-shaped, peripherally toothed bricks,each having transverse openings in which said forks are insertable. 24.The toy building set of claim 23, wherein each of said disc-shapedbricks has eight of said recesses arranged in a square array around itsaxis.
 25. The toy building set of claim 24, wherein said openings aresquare.
 26. The toy building set of claim 23, wherein said disc-shapedbrick has an axial hole, and comprising pivot members having one endportion insertable into the axial hole, and with an opposite end portioninsertable in one of the recesses of a square brick or openings of adisc-shaped brick.
 27. The toy building set of claim 26, wherein saidone end portion of the pivot member is freely rotatable in the axialhole of a disc-shaped brick.
 28. The toy building set of claim 23,wherein a pitch diameter of the peripheral toothing of the disc-shapedbrick is substantially equal to a length of a side of the substantiallysquare brick plus a length of the tab.